Florida football: Recruits visiting Gators this week
By TJ Ostrander
Billy Napier and the Florida football program look to wrap up a few more commits heading into signing day next month. The Gators scored a huge commit from 4-star Trevor Etienne last Saturday at the All-America Bowl, but they aren’t done yet.
Here’s a list of the recruits currently scheduled to visit Gainesville on January 14th, via 247 recruiting. Some of the players who will be visiting already signed with the Gators on early signing day. It’s a big day with some huge potential recruits visiting the Swamp.
Jan 14th Gator official visits
Kevonte Henry – DE 4-star – Lawndale, CA
Kevonte Henry is ranked the number 376th overall recruit in the 2022 class. He is currently committed to the University of Michigan.
Harold Perkins – LB 5-star – Cypress, TX
This is a really important visit for the Florida football program. Harold Perkins, is rated by 247 as the number 5 overall recruit in the class and rated the number 1 linebacker. Perkins is currently committed to Texas A&M, but the Gators are making a huge late push for the standout linebacker. The Gators are the only team left that could potentially steal him away from his home state. Perkins recently sent out a cryptic tweet at recent Gator signee Kamari Wilson.
https://twitter.com/HP113k/status/1478804084899651590?s=20
Arlis Boardingham – ATH 3-star – Van Nuys, CA
This could be an important recruit down the road for the Gators. Arlis may be just a 3-star recruit, but he is the number 30 overall rated athlete in the class. Arlis could be flexed into a few different positions, which is valuable. Definitely not a guy I would expect to see on the field during the 2022 season, but could crack the lineup in a few years for Billy Napier. The Gators are currently the frontrunner for Boardingham.
Jacoby Matthews – Safety 4-star – Ponchatoula, LA
Another key recruit that will be on hand in Gainesville on Friday, Jacoby Matthews. Matthews is currently rated the number 36 overall recruit in the 2022 class and he has Florida high on his list. Hopefully, Billy Napier will be able to use his Louisiana background to help reel in this young man from the Cajun state. The Gators have already added 5-star safety Kamari Wilson in this 2022 class as well. Florida football has some stiff competition in signing this man, as LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama are all in play for Matthews.
Trey Smack- Kicker 3-star – Severna Park, MD
Trey Smack has already signed with the Florida Gators, so just a nice no pressure visit for this young man. This was a key signing for Napier, as the Gators were horrible kicking the football in 2021.
Miguel Mitchell – ATH 3-star – Oxford, AL
The Gators don’t have too much competition for Miguel Mitchell, the only other school really on his radar is Northwestern right now. Mitchell might have a quicker impact on Northwestern than he will on Florida, and both schools are very high on the academic scale. Florida is currently the front-runner for Mitchell and he is ranked at 891st in the 2022 recruiting class.
Shemar James – LB 4-star – Mobile, AL
Shemar James has also already signed with the Florida football program. A huge win for Napier, as he stole James away from both Alabama and Georgia. Shemar was rated the 7th overall linebacker in the 2022 class.
Jalen Farmer – OL 3-star – Covington, GA
Jalen Farmer is another 3-star player visiting this week, but is still a key target for the Gators. Florida had pretty poor play on the offensive line in 2021, and injuries are a common theme at that position. Farmer has already committed to the Gators, but they are still fighting off Kentucky and Auburn until signing day. Farmer is the 667th overall ranked recruit in the class.
Jamari Lyons – DL 4-star – Melbourne, FL
Jamari Lyons is another player who has already signed with Florida. A big instate recruit for Billy Napier as they look to add some extra-strength on the defensive line, especially with the departure of Zach Carter.
Trevor Etienne – RB 4-star – Jennings, LA
Trevor Etienne announced his commit to Florida a few days ago, he is the younger brother to Travis Etienne – 2021 first-round draft choice by the Jacksonville Jaguars- and he committed to Florida over LSU, and Clemson. Etienne is the number 15 overall running back in the 2022 class and would most likely see game action right away.
Caleb Douglas – WR 3-star – Missouri City, TX
Caleb Douglas is a toss up for the Gators. It seems it will come down to Florida and Baylor for this young man. The majority of experts have Douglas signing with Baylor over the Gators. Douglas has good size at 6’3 and the Gators need to add some depth at wide receiver. Douglas is ranked the 68th overall receiver in the 2022 class.
Emar’rion Winston – DL/EDGE 3-star – Portland, OR
The Gators are currently in the mix for Emar’rion Winston, but as of now it would appear his number one choice is to stay instate at Oregon. Winston is ranked inside the top-500 in the recruiting ranks and would add some valuable depth to the Gators defense.
T.J. Dudley – LB 4-star – Montgomery, AL
The Gators are making a late hard push for T.J. Dudley, and they secured a late visit with the 4-star linebacker. The Gators have already signed 4-star Shemar James (also from Alabama) at linebacker in this class. Florida seems to be battling Oregon and Texas in his recruitment. Dudley is ranked just inside the top-200 in the recruiting ranks.